Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has responded calmly to Ousmane Dembélé’s decision to exclude him from his top three candidates for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, named Kylian Mbappé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Harry Kane as his preferred contenders for this year’s award.

Asked about the omission, Yamal joked about Dembélé’s friendship with Mbappé but said he had no issue with the French forward’s choices.

The 19-year-old said he had a good relationship with Dembélé and understood that the Paris Saint-Germain forward was entitled to choose other players.

Yamal also rejected the idea of campaigning for the award, saying his performances for Barcelona and Spain should speak for themselves.

He said he was proud of the season he had enjoyed with both his club and national team and believed he had a strong chance of winning the individual honour.

Yamal was included among the leading contenders when the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or was announced. The ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26.